The present invention generally relates to a back support belt to be worn by a worker to reduce the risk of back injury during lifting activities.
Back injuries are a very costly health problem for industry. Some estimates place the total cost of back injuries to industry in the United States at approximately one hundred billion dollars per year. It is estimated that each year nearly half a million workers are permanently sidelined by back injuries. Lower back pain and back injuries account for nearly forty percent of all work days missed, resulting in over 93 million lost work days per year. Most lower back injuries and lower back pain result from improper lifting mechanics or techniques. Many of the injuries that occur can be prevented by proper lifting techniques; however, even with training in proper techniques, many workers fail to use such techniques and become injured.
It has been found that provision of additional support to the backs of workers through the use of belts, braces or wraps can considerably reduce back injuries, perhaps both because such devices provide added support and because such devices may encourage and remind the worker to use better technique. Such belts, braces or wraps appear to provide support by compressing the tissue around the spine so as to stabilize the lumbar spine and prevent substantial lateral motion of the vertebrae thereof relative to one another which may otherwise occur and cause painful injury.
As noted, many such belts, braces or wraps have also been designed to reinforce proper lifting techniques. When lifting heavy objects, it is preferred to use the legs as much as possible to perform the lift. To insure that the legs are doing most of the lifting as opposed to the back, the lift should begin with the lifter in a squatting position with the back aligned within 45 degrees of vertical. However, individuals often lift items with the back aligned 45-90 degrees beyond vertical such that the back bears most of the load during lifting. Many braces incorporate features which make it uncomfortable for a wearer to bend their back more than 45 degrees from vertical, thereby reinforcing proper lifting techniques.
Numerous back support belts or braces have been designed to be worn under the garments of a wearer. These belts often trap in body heat and become uncomfortable to wear in a warm environment. Also, it is extremely inconvenient for the wearer to remove the belt if the wearer has to remove the brace at various times during their work period. Such removal requires the wearer to remove and then put back on their regular clothing in order to remove the belt or brace.
Certain prior art back support belts or braces have been designed for wearing over the clothes of a wearer. A significant shortcoming of currently available overwrap and underwrap support belts is that these belts tend to be pushed upwards out of proper support position during use by a wearer. To provide maximum back support, the back support belt should provide support through the lower back down to the upper portion of the sacrum. With currently available back support belts, as a lifter squats down to pick up an object the lifter's thighs engage a lower edge of the belts so as to urge the belt upwards. After several lifts, these belts no longer provide support for the back as far down the back as is preferred. Furthermore, such belts are difficult to correctly position, whether the belt has simply slipped out of place or when retightening after the belt has been released for some reason.